Welcome to the home of
Rebirth & New Awakening
About Rebirth & New Awakening
Rebirth and New Awakening is born from personal experience of a range of autoimmune conditions including; Undifferentiated Connective Tissue Disease, Lupus SLE, Sjogren’s, Raynaud’s, Antiphospholipid Syndrome and indicators of early onset Hashimoto’s Thyroiditis Disease, as well as Fibromyalgia. I have experienced first-hand the total lack of social and emotional support available, following a diagnosis, to adapt to living life with these conditions. This inspired me to reach out and support you on the same rollercoaster of accepting your autoimmune condition/s and realising the new you! I aim to provide a range of support for you both emotionally and practically to live your most fulfilling life with an autoimmune disease!
The process of being diagnosed with these conditions, as a young woman and mother, alongside living with the symptoms was terrifying at times. Being advised of worst-case scenarios and embarking on regular medication and medical appointments, with very little emotional support, leaves you feeling helpless and alone. I believe this is the point where people allow chronic illness to dominate their mindset rather than considering how they can still achieve a happy and full life, something I am fortunate to experience today.
As a mother to two small children, I was not willing to accept the bleak life trajectory set out before me of managing pain and other symptoms through increasing strength medication, and the feeling of constantly missing out on life. So, after lots of research, I knew that I had major changes to make to my mindset and lifestyle.
Having a long professional background of working with people to overcome barriers and create change in their lives, often people who are very stuck, I decided to draw on these skills to help others living with autoimmune diseases, to come to terms with their diagnoses and release their potential. I hope that here, you will find the emotional support you require to accept your conditions and discover the happy and fulfilling life waiting for the new you!
The journey
The journey to accepting your diagnoses and finding the new you can be a long and winding road. Along this road we follow a very similar process to that of grief, grieving the person you once were and the life you once lived. This is not an easy process and you are likely to go backwards and forwards between the various stages.
People’s initial reaction to their autoimmune diagnoses is often relief, I know mine was! Relief that you are not crazy and that there has been something causing you to feel so bad. However, quickly after this comes the denial and isolation phase. You ignore the overwhelming feelings and pretend the situation isn’t happening or that everything is fine now you have a diagnosis. This is our body’s clever way of protecting us by numbing your emotions. This can cause you to feel low, very low at times, and can be an incredibly lonely place to be.
Then comes anger, when the reality of living with an autoimmune condition re-emerges and we are not yet ready to face what this means for us. You may have felt cross with medical professionals for not having the answers, ask yourself things like why me, resent the changes that are happening to you and fear what the future has in store.
We then try to make sense of the situation and regain control. We might make deals with whatever power above will listen, to rid ourselves of the emotional pain, and perhaps even the condition, as unlikely as that is. Feelings of guilt emerge; “what did I do wrong?”, “Is there something I could have done differently?”, “Maybe if I’d just...”.
Hello depression.
Sadness and regret greet us as we worry about not being available to our families, isolating ourselves from friends and social occasions and despair at the life we now have to lead.
Sorry about the slip into the abyss there, but it is a genuine part of the story and not everything can be sugar coated. The good news at the end of this is, LIFE GOES ON, and it can still be great, just different.
So, find your people - yes relationships may change but you need like-minded people who understand you and can offer support.
Know that ALL emotions are fine – the good, the bad and especially the ugly – embrace them!
Finally, stop thinking of yourself as an ‘ill person’, it will drag you down. Educate yourself on your condition/s, never stop trying new things that might help and stay connected with communities that can support you.
LIFE WILL BE GOOD AGAIN!
Loving the new you!
You’ve reached acceptance - welcome!
This is where life really begins to get good.
In a society where we are taught to conform from a very young age and constantly compare ourselves to our peers in order to measure our successes, it can be difficult to find the confidence to embrace your quirky ways and live life as the new you.
Yes, it's true that a lot goes into it, from diet and supplements to rest and relaxation, optimal exercise to learning what works for you. It doesn’t just happen by chance but through active exploration of what you need. Remember, self-care is a necessity not a luxury. When you find that magic formula, your renewed focus and hopefully energy will be put to good use in terms of discovering what your new life can look like.
You will find true happiness by being yourself and having the added insight into what your body needs. Be proud to be perfectly imperfect, I certainly am!
I hope this site will inspire you and help you to develop the confidence to know, that whilst living with autoimmune conditions will throw you ups and downs, you’ve got this and have the power to shape your life as you intend it.
Stolen from my favourite Banksy piece, “there is always hope”.
Reclaiming parenting
We all know the challenges parenting can bring and the exhaustion we feel at times, obviously not forgetting the incredible joy and wonder our little beings also bring. However, throw an autoimmune disease into the mix and the exhaustion can become all-consuming, leaving little space or energy to enjoy even the fun times.
Just like the readjustment you underwent in your journey to love the new you, your parenting needs a journey all of its own!
And what did I learn on mine?
Simplicity is key!
Create Stimulating Environments
My kids appear to have endless energy and there have been times when I have really struggled to keep up! I realised quickly that outdoor space with plenty of things to explore will keep them happy for hours. Hence our allotment project, complete with fairy garden, bird houses, mud kitchen, their own veggie plots and of course a bench for me to rest on! Here they are safe and contained and I can rest while they explore.
Declutter
Calm house, calm life, calm mind, calm you!
The single biggest difference in my life, post diagnosis, was creating a calm space. I don’t recommend doing this all in one go or the likelihood is you will end up in bed! However, de-cluttering and having an allocated space for everything in your home serves both to create a sense of calm and allow all family members to support with tidying up. A calm adult space in which to relax each evening is so important to your rest and wellbeing.
Preparation is Key
For so many auto-immune conditions, brain fog and memory problems come with the territory. This can really interfere with your ability to think on the spot and remember things you need to do each day. With the hectic juggling of school life, homework, birthday parties, play dates, work, food shopping etc etc, it’s so easy to live in a constant state of stress, which is likely to contribute to your immune response, leading to flare ups and burn out! To avoid this, choose a time in the week when you are feeling your best and plan for the week/month ahead. Even my family meals are planned on a 3-week rolling rota with food shops pre-saved in my online grocery list, to be delivered at the convenient click of a button. Daily reminders set as alarms on my mobile phone, also get me through life!
De-schedule
And finally, if the Covid-19 pandemic and subsequent lockdown taught us anything it was to let go of the frantic lives we lead. Running between school, work, extra-curricular activities, homework and packed lunches during the week to long action-packed weekends – I’m exhausted just thinking about it! Following lockdown, when I asked where my kids would go if they could choose anywhere, their choice was our local park! We put so much pressure on ourselves to provide a fun and exciting weekend full of outings and treats, when actually, a play in the park and time spent together will more than suffice.
Prioritise down time, enjoy not being busy and recuperate for the week ahead.
Live the simple life!
I hope these quick tips have been helpful. Please check out my blog for regular features of parenting with autoimmune conditions.
Some of my favourites
These are a few of my favourite things
Fresh air and walking, the kids’ happy faces,
Food from my garden and pretty green spaces,
The comfort a blanket and good story brings,
These are a few of my favourite things!
When the flare strikes, when the doubt fights, when I'm feeling sad.
I simply remember my favourite things, and then I don't feel so bad!
Product 1 title here
This is the product description. Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam, quis nostrud exercitation ullamco laboris nisi ut aliquip ex ea commodo consequat.
Product 2 title here
This is the product description. Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam, quis nostrud exercitation ullamco laboris nisi ut aliquip ex ea commodo consequat.
Latest Blog Articles
So pleased to finally be writing my second blog after what feels like an age! The dreaded Covid struck in November and saw me confined to bed for a number of weeks followed by all-consuming post viral fatigue. This alongside various parenting stresses (that you will hear about in my next blog!), Covid spreading through …
Continue reading "Prioritising and Pacing – My Magic Formula"
It’s so nice to finally be here and share my first blog with you! Welcome to the site and my new blog aimed at supporting you emotionally in accepting your autoimmune diagnoses and finding the new and best version of you! ‘Re-birth and New Awakening’ are terms borrowed from the spiritual world, describing the process …
Register
Please register your interest here in a tailored programme to emotionally support you to make sense of and accept your diagnoses.